Davao City ─ He is unlike boys his age. At 12, Jonathan M. Maton of Barangay Tacunan, Tugbok District is already a broadcaster, having started at the age of 10.
To further hone his skills, Jonathan attended the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium’s (SMARRDEC) training on development writing held on November 17─19, 2010 at the Davao Eagle’s Ridge.
Facilitated by communication experts of PCARRD and Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Bukidnon, the training-cum-writeshop was participated in by students and professionals alike from the consortium’s partner member agencies (PMAs).
Jonathan, the youngest participant in the training, represents Radyo Tacunan, where he is a regular broadcaster.
Radyo Tacunan is the only surviving community audio tower system established through the Food and Agriculture Organization-United Nations Development Programme-funded “Development Support Communication Project”, where PCARRD also took part.
The son of a farmhand, Jonathan is in sixth grade and is running for salutatorian. When asked if he was intimidated by the older participants, the young boy quickly replied, “no.”
“Nasa pakikisama lang po yun” (It’s how you deal with people).
The training is Jonathan’s second with adults, having attended his first PCARRD-funded training on broadcasting in March 2010.
SMARRDEC hosted its training on development writing to develop the writing skills of its communication representatives from different PMAs for electronic, print, and broadcast media. The training also included a module on design for electronic and print media.
“Madami po akong natutunan sa training” (I learned a lot from the training), Jonathan said in between bites of chocolate.
Jonathan intends to become an engineer in the future, but for now, he has been equipped with the principles of development writing which can use for his present broadcasting chores.